I hope the reader will permit me to share a bit of “emotional writing” on this post. I normally attempt to use a light hand when I discuss social evils. It is a more persuasive way to write. But there are times when it seems right to pull out the stops.

This hyper-decorum called political correctness has created a nation of cowards ― people who lie because the truth could cost them their jobs or their social standing. The system is reinforced by millions of perpetrators — bosses, teachers, parents and assorted loudmouths. But the real traitors are the ones who permitted this nonsense to be taken seriously on college campuses and in the workplace.

Radical liberals will tell you this is about respect. I am told I must not use certain words or make certain statements because to do so would disrespect women, gays, atheists or Muslims. This is not only totalitarian, it is unnecessary; if I am truly bigoted, sexist or a gay-hater, my comments will bring proper repercussions to bear; if I’m not, any inaccuracies or misguided thinking I present can be refuted at any time by people who haven’t replaced their brains with the Big Brother script.

I can’t imagine how the Left pulled it off. In America, of all places, a culture that once celebrated freedom and individuality, we have submitted to being micro-managed in our thinking and our speech, particularly when it comes to the issue of homosexuality. There exists an assigned list of terms which we are obligated to use, such as “significant other” and “partner” that were cooked up to prevent our words from ever reminding gays that they are in a deviant group. We may not even use the word “deviant” even though it means nothing more than “apart from the majority.” By having our speech controlled, we are being told that it is our duty to help gays feel better about their personal choices.

I have no shame for homosexuals, only compassion. I sympathize deeply with their plight, being captivated by feelings for others of the same sex and having to contend with the biblical prohibition against the thing they desire so strongly. It must feel like a life sentence of celibacy or, alternatively, a ticket to hell. Not the most enjoyable situation to be in.

How I wish I could convince gays and their supporters that I know they are human, deserving of love and compassion! But I cannot in good conscience jump on the bandwagon and agree that homosexuality is healthy and proper, which is the thing that is being required of me. This is the last objective of the gay rights movement. The majority of society has accepted homosexuality, and gays face no substantial obstacles in the courts and in the workplace. The only thing left is to find and convert the traditional remnant and make sure they speak well of homosexuality.

Let us suppose for a moment that this is truly about respect. It might surprise many people to learn that respect is not an entitlement. How nice it would be if, instead of demanding respect, we concentrated on earning it with noble deeds and honorable conduct?

But it’s not really about respect. Maybe it started out that way, and to be fair, everyone in America who wasn’t a WASP used to deal with a tilted playing field. There was discrimination and racism and violence against minorities. Then the Civil Rights Movement showed us the power of activism, and every minority under the sun stepped forward with a complaint. It didn’t matter whether the complaint was valid or not. The only thing that mattered was the ongoing imperative to unseat the dominant group.

One of the chief stated aims of liberalism is to eliminate domination by any group. Ostensibly in pursuit of this goal, it has gone after whites, males, heterosexuals and Christians. It has used education, law, politics and popular culture to accomplish its goals. The former two have lost much of their former sway, but heterosexuals and Christians, thanks to the secularization of American society and the successful marketing of sympathy for gays, have been completely marginalized.

Were there abuses of the power once held by traditionalists? Have there been hideous attacks against gays? Of course. There has never been a time when power wasn’t abused. Violence and xenophobia has been with us since the Fall. But these abuses are trotted out as though they were the invention of the Christian power bloc. A hundred million murders committed by atheists and secularists (Stalin, Mao Tse Tung, Hitler, et al), but it’s the Christians who are the festering illness in the world.

Now that the liberal crusade has been so successful, the Left’s emphasis on eliminating domination has disappeared from view. The new cultural elite has assumed the dominant position it once condemned. After decades of putting Christians and heterosexuals on guilt trips for owning the bully pulpit, the Left has capitalized on its gains and stepped into the vacant roles to make the rules. Whatever genuine desire the Left had for reciprocal respect is gone. The cry of the howling liberal demagogue is not “peace and unity” but “Me!” In order to enforce its self-centered reforms, it makes vague references to respect as it presides over the new socio-cultural regime. Tolerance has turned out to be the Emperor’s New Clothes.

I am a Christian. I am painfully aware of the dirty laundry in the history of the Christian Church and the injustice that is still perpetrated by people and organizations who wear the title Christian. I understand that many people, when they discover I am a Christian, will wonder if I can be trusted or taken seriously since I must be ignorant — otherwise I would never sign on with a religion that has so much dirty laundry in its closet.

I wish people who believe I am a fool for beine a Christian would say so and give me a chance to respond. I always prefer to hear what people really think or suspect about me. The one surviving rule of the Leftists that is applied across the board — that people must not make direct statements about the personal beliefs of others — is the one I most wish people would break with me. I welcome the honest comments of cultural opponents. Even if I have no opportunity to demonstrate to others what Jesus is really about and what I’m about as a human being, I will still respect them more for speaking their minds than I would if they were to hold their tongues out of a counterfeit sense of respect.

Why is honest disclosure so threatening to PC junkies? Could it be that they don’t want too much probing going on for fear that others (or they themselves) would discover that they’re living in a house of cards? What has so bewitched our liberal brothers and sisters that they have discarded individuality and freedom of speech — two of America’s bedrock principles?

Am I saying anything that hasn’t been observed by most everyone whose brains are still functional? No. If the reader carries anything away from this, let it be my request that we respectfully challenge what is going on. There are ways to do this without jeopardizing our jobs or affiliations, although not in every case. There are those who have it in for anyone who dares to walk on the other side of the aisle.

If I offend one of them and pay the price? Good riddance.

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About Douglas Abbott

I am a freelance writer by trade, philosopher and comedian by accident of birth. I am an assiduous observer of humanity and endlessly fascinated with people, the common elements that make us human, what motivates people and the fingerprint of God in all of us. I enjoy exploring the universe in my search for meaning, beauty and friendship. My writing is an extension of all these things and something I did for fun long before I ever got paid. My hope is that the reader will find in this portfolio a pleasing and inspiring literary hodgepodge. Good reading!

2 Responses to The Muzzling of America

Doug, always I am glad to see our current cultural whirlpool articulated. In my books, all that you say is true — but there is much more. Everything from the rewriting of American history to the shunning of Christian celebrities to the silence on global Christian persecution smack of this cultural bias of which you write. I believe the true bottom line is our relationship to TRUTH, both as a nation & as individuals. When we decided to dump the idea of absolute truth we began drifting in a pool of never-ending relativism. We are about to find ourselves back to the times of the Roman Empire, an environment in which neither democracy nor the American way of life can survive.
The good news is Jesus’ promise, that hell’s gates will not prevail against his church. You & I are on the right side but the opportunity to be lights of the world gets trickier by the year.

You’re right about that! Sometimes I wonder if it isn’t better to simply identify myself as a Christian and then keep my mouth shut entirely. Our society has become so unfamiliar with truth that many people honestly receive it as hostility. And yet we press on.